Retrieve a Files Original Direct Download Address from Safari
Have you ever downloaded a file from the web and then down the road wished you could retrieve the origin download address? Maybe you want to redownload the file or send the direct download link to a friend.
Discovering any files download address is made exceptionally easy with newer versions of Safari, here’s all you have to do:
- Click the “Downloads” button in the upper right of a Safari window to drop down the list of files
- Right-Click on the file you want the origin URL for and choose “Copy Address”
- You are now free to paste the direct download link to elsewhere, be it an IM, email, or just back in the URL bar
Direct URLs to files are usually permanently live, but some sites using offsite storage either through a CDN or Amazon can have addresses that expire after a set amount of time. If that’s the case you’ll discover the link won’t work when you attempt to download the file again and you’ll have to locate it again manually.
If you didn’t download a file through Safari you can often find out where a file was downloaded from within the Mac OS X Finder as well.
